By: Tanja Brkić (Nova24tv.si)
Slovenia has experienced two major crises in recent years, but these crises have clearly shown us who are the true leaders and, on the other hand, who are the people that, in these critical times, exploit the plight of the people for their own or political ends. While the current left-wing government, which was the opposition at the time, publicly incited the nation to resist the measures during the pandemic crisis – to their own detriment, today, the opposition Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS) has stepped up to help the people – together with the current government.
Together, we can do it, says the largest opposition party, SDS, with President Janez Janša at the helm. The attitude of the Slovenian Democratic Party in crisis situations proves that in such uncertain times, we all need to stand together, regardless of our differences. This is the opposite of what the left did during the pandemic when it incited the nation against the government and encouraged violent protests.
“When disaster strikes us all, members of the SDS party did not start cycling in the squares, protesting against the government – instead, they are helping out as much as they can. #TogetherWeCan,” tweeted the opposition SDS party leader Janez Janša, who also stressed at the National Security Council that we must stand together.
“The debate on what could have been done and what could have reduced the drastic consequences of this disaster can wait. At the moment, the focus should be on preventing further damaging consequences from the floods, as well as from the hailstorm that hit agriculture.” Janša proved that he means business during the pandemic, when he and his government drafted and implemented measures quickly and efficiently, and he is proving the same today, when he has stepped up to the plate to help.
Janez Janša stressed that this summer will require a change of priorities. There are things that may have been urgent yesterday but are less urgent today because the focus needs to be shifted to dealing with the consequences of the recent natural disasters, he believes. “This is also the time to think about all of the things that have not been done because of bureaucratic obstacles and to include in this intervention law measures that will allow preventive action in the future.”
If we return back to the time of the pandemic and Covid-19 for a moment, we can probably all remember very well just how bad the situation was at the time. Covid-19 hit the most vulnerable members of our society the worst, and for some, it was devastating. People lost their relatives and loved ones, and the Janša government took serious measures to at least alleviate the situation and prevent many further infections or deaths. Of course, this required action, and this made complete sense to everyone – except the members of the current left-wing government, who deliberately encouraged people to resist the measures. Why? Because of their own interest and for political reasons. “When we health workers asked for help during the Covid-19 pandemic, the left was obnoxious; it was protesting, rejecting the measures, they were “reading the constitution,” and accusing us of dictatorship. They did not care about the nation being united, which meant that our work was thus even harder. And today? Let us help where we can. This government does not deserve you – but your fellow countrymen do,” wrote infectious disease specialist Doctor Federico V. Potočnik on Twitter.
It all started with the first Friday protest against the previous government during the Covid-19 pandemic, when protesters cycled in Ljubljana, but it then continued and expanded into violent protests, incitement to violence and hatred, riots and destruction of foreign property. When it came to coming together, the current left-wing government was unable to see outside its bubble. The transitional mainstream media and part of the opposition politics of the time (the defunct “Constitutional arch coalition”) also played a part in this, with constant incitement, calls for protests and indiscriminate anti-government agitation. In a year and a half, they created momentum, which was unleashed in the violent riots in front of the Ljubljana parliament.
Let us just remind you of the campaign of spitting on MPs and other high-ranking state officials, the use of pyrotechnics and the throwing of granite cubes (even bottles), as witnessed at the infamous riot-like anti-government protest on the 5th of November 2020, when the criminal underground, headed by Anis Ličina, protested. To top it all off, the event was also enlivened by various religious lunatics (Salafists), such as Samir Balić, the Antifa terrorists and Green Dragons football fans. Also, on the 5th of November last year, the police had to use a water cannon and, at the same time, tear gas.
We should also mention the harassment of the then-director of the National Institute of Public Health, Milan Krek, by the rapper Zlatan Čordić – Zlatko, people squirting water at police officers with water pistols, death threats in the form of graffiti and threatening letters about the beheading of the Prime Minister’s family, the spray-painting of graffiti, especially swastikas, onto the building of the ministries, the harassment of members of parliament in their private lives, and the threats to employees of ministries, displaying buttocks and genitals at public events, disrupting state celebrations, recruiting narco-criminals for public anti-government activities (Anis Ličina), organising violent riots in which even photojournalists and journalists were victims (Vladimir Vodušek and Borut Živulovič), threatening MPs with hanging and burning, and publicly burning and stoning paper mache statues of statesmen (Janša and then-Minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs).